The invention relates to an improved shopping cart suitable for storage and conveyance of a conventional capacity of food or other products, while also transporting and entertaining at least one child.
Carts, such as shopping carts, for storing and/or conveying or transporting groceries or other products are known. The carts range in size from smaller, more portable, luggage rollers to larger capacity shopping carts or platforms suitable for more voluminous objects.
These known carts often have any one of a number of different child seating structures attached thereto, so that an individual can provide a place for a child to sit while the individual utilizes the cart to, e.g., shop in a store. Conventional carts often have a collapsible child seat near a handle of the cart, suitable for only a single child.
In some circumstances it is desirable to have a seat available for each of two children. One known cart that addresses this concern is depicted in three U.S. patents to Reiland, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,548, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,021, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,031. In these U.S. patents, the xe2x80x9cchild carrierxe2x80x9d includes a platform supported by at least one caster, two seat areas, and a restraining device for each seat, such as a seat belt, to hold the child in place. The carrier is rigidly attached to the rear portion of the cart, and the child or children have some access to items placed in the upper compartment of the cart. The extension of the carrier from the rear portion of the cart creates a longer wheelbase than a typical shopping cart.
Another known solution is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,210 to Lambrecht. This patent depicts a cart with a removable shell disposed on a lower of two frame portions. The shell includes a seat for locating a child directly below the upper basket of the cart. The shell rests on the lower frame, which would otherwise be useable space for transporting items in the cart.
There exists in the art a need for a cart having storage capacity substantially equivalent to a standard shopping cart, while also providing additional structure for transporting and entertaining one or more children, wherein the structure is fully integrated into the cart. The present invention is directed toward further solutions in this art.
In accordance with one example embodiment of the present invention, a shopping cart has a frame. A basket mounts on the frame. A vehicle resembling body integrally mounts with the frame. The body has seating for two children, at least one steering wheel. At least one mirror, and/or mirror housing, can mount to a side of the body. Decorative wheels that do not contact the ground and a storage bed for storing items can also be included in example embodiments. There is at least one caster wheel disposed at distal comers of the frame for supporting the cart and any contents of the cart while enabling a user to roll the cart over a surface, such as a store floor. Six wheels can support the cart and the body, each wheel being a caster swivel wheel or a fixed wheel.
The shopping cart, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, has a roof over the body. The body of the cart can further include one or two swing arms on either side of the body. The swing arms pivot up or down to an open or closed position. When in a closed position, the arms help to keep children passengers inside the body. Motion limiters can prevent the arms from opening beyond the open position. In addition, the mirror housings can support the arms in the closed position.
The shopping cart, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention has a mesh floor extending below the frame. The mesh floor allows objects or liquids dropped or spilled by child passengers to pass through to a surface below the cart. In addition, the mesh floor helps to maintain the legs and feet of child passengers inside the body for better safety.
The shopping cart, in accordance with still another aspect, includes a back wall on the body, which hinders access by the child passengers from an interior portion of the body to the storage bed.
The shopping cart, in accordance with further aspects of the present invention can have one or more of a small article basket disposed above the body for added storage capacity. Further, an infant seat can be disposed within the basket for added seating capacity, and at least one restraining element can be placed in the body for restraining child passengers.
The shopping cart, in accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, has a body in a shape similar to one of an automobile, a sled, a train, an aircraft, a spacecraft, and a ship, in addition to other known forms of conveyance, for entertaining the child passengers.
The shopping cart can be provided with one or more bumpers at strategic locations to provided resistance to damage in the instance of collision with surrounding objects. The bumpers further protect the cart and body from abrasion and therefore extend the life of the shopping cart.